Category Review

Learning ancient history from a Bible-centered perspective is still thefocus of the 2nd edition of MOH, Vol. 1 and the well-loved format has not beenchanged (one paperback book contains everything for teacher and student alike).Short, interesting readings show how history fits together. What famous Biblefigure lived when the Trojan Horse was built? Who lived in North America aroundthe time that Jeremiah wrote Lamentations? Historically accurate with betterchronological detail based on the work of James Ussher, the 625-page book (144new pages in the 2nd edition) tells you who walked the earth when and helps puteach life in perspective around important events that happened worldwide. Thisrevised edition includes lessons that have been enriched and the generalscholarship level of the text broadened. The layout is cleaner, more-readable with upgraded artistry and photos (still black & white). Enhanced mapping exercises and simplified timeline directions are included along with suggestions for fun activities. An important review feature – the memory cards, which are added to each week – have been retained. However, based on customer feedback the 2nd edition adds these features: answer key maps for all mapping exercises, an expanded reading list, a pronunciation guide, and a Bible reading list. Quarterly reviews and semester tests are provided. All student materials is reproducible for family use. Although this is intended for 4-8 graders, it is easily adapted to both older and younger students for an all-in-one history book. Assignments are included for all grade levels.

The Reproducibles CD allows you to print out all the reproducible material from the text including pre-tests, quizzes, exercises, worksheets, tests, maps, and appendix pages. The new 2nd edition CD-ROM is Mac and PC compatible.

The Audio CD provides the complete and unabridged text (only story lessons) read aloud by the author, Linda Lacour Hobar, with background music.

Product Review

Learn ancient history from a Bible-centered perspective. With short, interesting readings every day you will discover how history fits together. What famous Bible figure lived when the Trojan Horse was built? Who lived in North America around the time that Jeremiah wrote Lamentations? This historically accurate, 471- page book tells you who walked the earth when and helps put their life in perspective around important events that happened worldwide during their lifetime. Unique historical photos are shown throughout, along with fun projects and timeline and mapping assignments. Another feature are the memory cards, which you add to every week to keep your facts straight. Quarterly reviews and semester tests are provided. Although this is intended for 4-8 graders, it is easily adapted to both older and younger students for an all-in-one history book as assignments are included for all grade levels. ~ Stephanie

Customer Reviews

 
Christa C. from Maryland wrote the following on 09/17/2006:
Mystery of History is a great program - I wish I had found it sooner. I love the intertwining of biblical history with ancient history - it makes both history and the Old Testament much clearer for me! It is extremely easy to use (translate well laid out)and provides a couple of things that Story of the World did not. While both SOTW and MOH have interesting narrative more like a story than a textbook, the first difference is that Mystery of History gives dates and offers ways to use a timeline to keep the order of history in perspective, which I found difficult to do with SOTW. Second is that MOH has "paperwork." Pretests (really just discussion questions), quizzes and exercises give your child a space to record what they learned (or you to record for them) and give you some often needed "portfolio fodder." While geared for grades 4-8, my 7 yr old enjoys the stories and the timeline and either I help her with the quiz or she skips that part. I go over the quizzes etc. with my 9 yr old more as discussion than quiz, but for an older child it would still be engaging although I would require them to complete the assignments more independently.

 
Rhonda C. from Tennessee wrote the following on 01/02/2007:
I can't say enough about this wonderful history curriculum! It is so easy to use; just pick it up and go. My 9 year old daughter enjoys it and has learned so much this year. You have to plan a little for the activities but most of those are easy to implement. They are also optional on those very busy days. The timeline work is very good to help reinforce learning. I wish I had learned history this way. I love the Biblical aspect of it and plan to go on to Mystery of History Volume 2 next year. It is a very good value and can be used with different ages. I love it.

 
Cheryl B. from Florida wrote the following on 06/27/2007:
This was a great history study. I love the way it integrated Biblical history with world history. My girls (12 and 17) learned a lot (and so did I). Why couldn't they teach history this way when I was in school? I love the fact that you can use it with multi age levels. The timelines really put it together in a visual way. The exercises and quizzes helped them to see if they were catching the material or not. I'm ordering #2 for next year and hoping she will have #3 completed for the following year. If not...HELP!

 
Ann-Marie M. from Ocala, Fl wrote the following on 06/29/2007:
I researched this book on line and was quite impressed so I ordered Volume 1 & 2. I love them! This is not some boring history book that your kids will moan and groan about reading. Each lesson is packed full of interesting activities to help your child absorb what they are learning in a fun way. You can make these activities as simple or complex as you like. The flexibility is wonderful. And it is such an easy program to follow. I also like the fact that you can use MOH with multiple grade levels. I am using it for my 6th grader this year, but plan to keep it for my preschooler to use in the years to come. What I love most is how the author incorporated bible history with world history. I plan on using every volume published!

 
Lisa P. from Weatherford, OK wrote the following on 07/19/2007:
This is absolutely the best history program around! I am ashamed to say that although I was at the top of my high school class, I never learned alot of this, and I never liked history. Now, I love history!!! I have just as much fun learning as my kids do. I have an 11th grader and a 5th grader, so there isn't a lot of things they can study together, but this is one of them. Our favorite thing about MOH 1 & 2 is the way you learn history around the world, chronologically. I may have learned what happened in different parts of the world or in Biblical times, but had no idea how it tied in to the rest of the world until we found this! Our other favorite part is the many, many choices of activities to reinforce what you learn, especially the timeline, books to read, crafts, recipes, and especially the great movies we've found to watch and be able to count as history! We are anxiously awaiting Vol. 3! My daughter now realizes she will graduate before all 5 volumes are completed and has said she will still come back and do history with us! This is one curriculum we will never resell, we'll just reuse it, even for fun, and especially for reference. If only there was a curriculum like this for all subjects!!!! Then we would love them all and beg to always be 'in school'.

 
Misty M. from CO wrote the following on 05/10/2008:
Where do I begin about this product? We love everything about it! I used this with my Kindergartner and 3rd grader. (My 2 year old even did a lot of the activities!) Each lesson is written very well and from a Biblical point of view. At the end of each lesson is an activity you can choose to do. For instance, when we studied the ancient Egyptians we wrapped the kids with toilet paper like mummies and we made a map of Egypt with a cake! (YUM) There are activity suggestions for younger, middle, and older students, so this is a wonderful curriculum to use with all your kids! The activities were easy to do and really made all of us LOVE history, not to mention, my children even remember what we have learned because of them. Each week there is also a mapping exercise, so geography is covered. Your kids work on a timeline and there is also a test or review at the end of each week. By far this is my very favorite curriculum! I would recommend it to everyone!

 
Rebecca S. from Tennessee wrote the following on 02/04/2009:
I have used MOH Vol 1 with my 3rd, 1st, & Preschooler. We absolutely love it. It is such an interesting approach to World History. You learn not only about the Bible in chronological order but also what is going on in other parts of the world at the same time. Even my preschooler is getting a lot out of it. She saw a picture and said "Look MOM! It's Stonehenge!" and it was. Linda Hobar writes in such a way that it is easy to keep straight what is going on when. You can do as much or as little with the extra things like timelines, maps, activities and memory cards as you like. We are going to do Vol 2 next year.

 
Heather C. from United States wrote the following on 04/13/2009:
TRULY WORLD HISTORY AT YOUR FINGERTIPS! I have learned so much from this program and my boys ages 8, 10 & 16 beg for more! The activities add just enough hands on to keep it in their heads and not too intense for me. The supplies needed so far have been easy to get and well laid out. For the reading assignment, we choose to do it orally (I read to kids) while they draw. Then we discuss the information, dig deeper, or just go right to the activity. We do a timeline on the wall - our own creation - the instructions to build one are great and if you have no desire to reinvent the wheel she gives you everything you need to know. We each have a 3 ring binder and place the items we work on and pictures we color and take with a camera into our binders. We enjoy this so much we plan our field trips around the studies and intend on using EACH and EVERY volume! I have even purchased the enrichment CD so that we can enrich our studies of this great program. Great for all ages and learning styles. Linda has done a WONDERFUL job and Rainbow Resource Center provides an excellent price.

 
Christine J. from North Carolina wrote the following on 05/22/2009:
Where was paper first made? What is the only man-made, physical structure that can be seen from space? This book contains these answers, and so much more fascinating trivia. In my 14 plus years of education, I have never found history to be so captivating, as in The Mystery of History. The greatest aspect that I enjoy about this curriculum is that it is Christ-centered. Linda Hobar looks to Christ in every event and shows how Christ truly is the Mystery of History.My 6 year old and 4 year old enjoyed listening to their history lesson, each day. The corresponding activities were so much fun and really helped us to bond, as a family.From hosting a mini-olympics to acting out the story of Cleopatra sneaking into Caesar's palace, this book makes learning history a memorable delight.

 
R K. O. from Alabama wrote the following on 08/17/2009:
This is my third year to use The Mystery of History series. I absolutely love it. My daughters and I have learned so much. It is so easy to use and the time line really helps them to remember the events. They love individually creating each figure and then placing it on the correct date. Even my son who is 7 loves to participate. This is very well thought out program and it is a pleasure to use it.

 
Sheila P. from ohio wrote the following on 08/23/2009:
We love Mystery of History Volume 1. Our children were in grades 5th, 2nd, 1st, and Preschool at the time we went through this volume although we did review it again the following school year. Our three older children learned so much. What was the best is the Christian background and where people and events fall as well as "order" of history in sequence. Even I the homeschool mom learned and understand so much more of history due to this program. The light comes on. We found volume one so easy to learn. We created the timeline similar to how Linda suggested but, we created our own timeline figures from images off the internet which helped all of us understand even more completely. I didn't feel there was much teacher preparation at all and the next time the kids and I go through volume one we decided to do some of the lessons as reenactments and we created our MOH game for volume one. This program was very easy to use with multiple age children. We used MOH maps plus a few of our own which helped the children much with geography. Either I read the lesson or the kids took turns reading the lesson out loud and then we would choose an activity or two to do. The kids always seemed to enjoy history. We have found since using volume 2 that we do like creating our own timeline figures. We also are looking forward to creating our own projects as we enter volume 3. It's a great curriculum to learn history in order and bring it to a understanding and life. When doing MOH I like to review the lesson before I go through it with the children in case there are things I would like to add such as an activity, project, cooking or something to bring out the lesson more. We search for timeline images together and then add to them if needed. We like MOH so much that we don't wish to use anything else. Volume one was worth the price so was volume two for we own both as for volume 3 I will have to let you know.

 
Erin D. from Indiana wrote the following on 09/18/2009:
Our family absolutely loves Mystery of History. It is the one class that all three of my children (in grades 3-8) look forward to every week. There are a variety of suggested activities to go along with each lesson that are easily adapted to different grade levels with very little prep time, only requiring common household items. The timeline is easy to make and is an excellent way to review previous lessons. My kids are all retaining what they have learned by using this method. A world atlas and/or globe are very helpful tools to easily add a geography lesson into the weekly lessons. We will definitely be purchasing the rest of this series.